Three Queen's professors named to Royal Society of Canada

John McGarry (Political Studies), Guy Narbonne (Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering), and David Thomson (Mathematics and Statistics) have been named fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).

Dr. McGarry is recognized internationally as one of the world’s leading authorities on conflict resolution, power-sharing and federalism. His work on the Northern Ireland conflict has revolutionized thinking on the subject, and contributed to its dramatically successful peace process. In 2008-09, he served as the first Senior Advisor on Power-Sharing to the United Nations (Standby-Team, Mediation Support Unit) and is currently assisting the UN-led negotiations in Cyprus.

"I'm very honoured to have been elected to the RSC,” he says. “It is gratifying to have one’s work recognized in this way.”

Dr. Narbonne is a paleontologist who is internationally recognized for his research on the origin and early evolution of animals. His descriptions of the biology, life strategies, ecology and history of this Ediacaran biota have profoundly influenced our understanding of evolution during this critical period in Earth history.

“Fellowship in the RSC is an incredible honour, but equally or more importantly it provides both an opportunity and a responsibility to enhance the importance of science and scholarship in Canada,” says Dr. Narbonne.

Dr. Thomson is a mathematician whose invention of multi-taper spectrum analysis – a way to analyze data that provides statistically stable estimates – has enabled advances in space physics, climate, seismology, neuro informatics, and electrical engineering. His research interests also include global warming and cellular phones.

“It is a privilege and an honour to be elected to the RSC, and to be in the company of such esteemed colleagues and scholars,” he says.

Queen’s alumni also elected to the RSC include Terry Cook (PhD’77), Thomas Lemieux (MA’85), David Cox (DSc’90), Paul Armstrong (Artsci’63, Meds’66), Richard Harris (Artsci’72) and Jocelyn Downie (Artsci’84, MA’85).

The RSC is an institution devoted to recognizing excellence in learning and research. Election to the academies of the RSC is the highest honour a scholar can achieve in the arts, humanities and sciences.

For more information, visit the Royal Society of Canada’s website.